The Call of the Dark
by chicken-chan
Summary: Ever since the day Kai had first encountered Black Dranzer, the two have been linked. After meeting the BladeBreakers Kai thought it was all in the past, but the Dark Phoenix won't forget him so easily...
1. Contact

**Title:** The Call of the Dark

**Summary:** Ever since the day Kai had first encountered Black Dranzer, the two have been linked. After meeting the BladeBreakers Kai thought it was all in the past, but the Dark Phoenix won't forget him so easily...Disturbing events cause Kai to confront old friends and fears, and travel back to the place he tried to forget.

**Author Note: **Hello people! This is a story I started writing a long time ago, but never posted. It starts off kind of slow, at the beginning of the first season, but please bear with me I wrote this first chapter a while ago, and I personally don't think its that great. It should (hopefully) get better from here, so I hope you'll carry on reading. And without further stalling, I present to you...TCotD! (sounds like some sort of mutant killer fish. "T-Cod" coming to eaaat you. Sorry, sorry, I'll get on with the story now...)

* * *

In the shade of the abandoned warehouse that had become the home of the infamous Blade Sharks, Kai sat on a pile of crates listening to the sounds of the sweltering Japanese summer that drifted in from outside. Crickets chirping, the sounds of birds and insects, and the shouts of children playing in the distance all seemed only to serve in making his own isolation more complete, more peaceful. For the moment, he was contented to just sit, comfortable and drowsy, like a housecat resting lazily somewhere dark and cool. Although he'd been living in Japan for several years now, his body was still not acclimatised to the oppressive hot weather than the season brought, leaving him exhausted and irritable during the prolonged summer months. In addition to this, his naturally pale skin always seemed to burn before it tanned, so frequently Kai retired to the gang's hideout to avoid the harsh noon sun, and to recover his strength as well as his dignity.

But then someone interrupted his little bubble. Carlos had returned with the others and a bag of ill-gotten beyblades. They were sweaty and chatting loudly as they approached, although a disapproving glare from Kai silenced them all fairly quickly. Carlos stepped forward and plonked the bag down ceremonially.

"Forty-three blades, Kai." He said it proudly, like a child says in hope of praise.

"That's a lot." Kai replied lightly, and pulled himself up from a reclining position.

The kid behind Carlos spoke up. "Yeah, middle of summer! Open season, eh?", and then fell quiet embarrassedly when no one else said anything.

Kai stretched and got up, giving a long suffering sigh as he did so. "I supposed I'd better have a look."

He pulled the bag towards himself and began sorting through the blades, commenting "useless", "nope" and giving the occasional dismissive snort at them as he went. The kids behind Carlos looked increasingly worried and nervous, but Carlos himself was relaxed and even grinned at some of Kai's running commentary. Within minutes, Kai had finished. The bag was tossed back to Carlos, who waited for instructions.

"Take what you want from them." The Blade Sharks' leader said ruthlessly, "And then dump the rest."

The kids behind Carlos immediately started chatting excitedly among themselves, already planning which stolen parts they would use for themselves as the left the warehouse. But Carlos stayed looking at the shadows in which his leader has disappeared into.

"Didn't find what you wanted, sir?"

Kai was silent.

"Kai?"

"I am beginning to think that there aren't _any_ bit-spirits on this miserable little island." He finally answered exasperatedly. Carlos saw his chance to brownnose up to the leader.

"Well sir," he began, "while we were out today, we saw this snot-nosed blader sir, and it seemed as though he was pretty strong – like they all respected him, Kai, sir. Acted all tough and challenged me to a battle. Maybe he knows something?"

Kai noticed all the extra 'sirs' (he would have been deaf not to), but let it go for now. Carlos may be onto something. It had been a while since anyone had been strong enough to stand up to the Blade Sharks...maybe this boy knew something of bit-beasts.

"…When is this battle?"

Carlos grinned. He could hear the interest in Kai's tone. If the cocky brat had access to a bit-beast, Carlos knew he could be greatly rewarded.

"Tomorrow."

"Good. Find out what he thinks he knows."

"Yes sir!" Carlos replied. He left the warehouse with a scheming grin, not seeing Kai glaring from the shadows at his retreating back.

He hated all the spineless kissing up that Carlos and his little lackeys did. Everyone thought that Kai meant to take the top 'bladers from his Blade Sharks into the World Championships. In truth, Kai only intended to take them through the qualifying Japanese Regional tournament and then leave them so that he could join his European team. Even this was only because it was strictly necessary. If he could have his own way, he would do the whole thing solo.

But as the tournament drew ever closer he had to deal daily with their antics and attempts to get closer to him. Carlos was the worst; dragging in useless blade after blade for Kai to sift through. He had absolutely no talent for recognising good beyblades. What's more is that he didn't realise that if he did ever battle the owner of a bit-spirit, he would never win without one of his own. Kai never intended for Carlos to capture bit-beasts – he was too weak no matter what his delusions. Kai used the Sharks as scouts to find and draw out any bit-beasts, and perhaps lure the 'blader that owned them into a false sense of security before Kai swooped down and took their 'blade before they knew what hit them. Of course, only he knew this, and he kept it to himself. Let the weak play their little power games if it kept them busy. Through their frantic searches to impress him, they might actually find something…

.:--:.

The following day, Kai stood on the top of the bridge looking over and watched with interest as the drama unfolded beneath him. On the banks of the river below, Carlos and his challenger prepared for a fight, and as first glances went, Kai wasn't particularly impressed. The boy was hardly striking; average height, slightly-too-dark-to-be-Japanese skin, dyed dark blue hair, and he was a little beat up: nothing too out of the ordinary really. He just looked like a good for nothing punk who didn't know when to keep his mouth shut, and Kai had seen many of those fall under the Blade Sharks. He leaned onto the railing and prepared for an easy victory for his side.

Meanwhile, unaware that he was being watched, Carlos bragged unashamedly.

"Oh, you've made your ripcord longer, huh? Well, I can tell you how many boneheads have tried that trick before!"

Tyson just smiled and readied his beyblade.

"It's not going to w-o-o-o-r-k!" the Shark taunted again. Someone started to call the beginning of the match, and Tyson stepped back a few feet. The only ones to realise his plan were Kenny (who immediately flipped open his laptop to record the match) and the figure far above on the bridge. Of course, the one person who it would matter to most was still boasting away.

"What you doing now, loser? Ha, doesn't matter, I'll still get your 'blade!"

Kai just sighed on hearing Carlos's cocky voice float up. He truly was thick. Not only hadn't it dawned on him that this kid was going to make up for Carlos's weight by increasing his speed, but he also hadn't bothered to prepare for this eventuality, and therefore didn't know that it could easily be countered. All Carlos had to do to render this kid's plan useless was to take a run-up himself. It would cancel out half of the punk's speed advantage, and Carlos could take him easily. Instead, he was starting on equal ground for the first time, and would probably lose the match without the extra weight to back him up. Oh well, Kai thought. The Sharks could afford to get rid of him – it wouldn't be a great loss.

The blades were launched on the command of "Let it rip!", and each took up strategical positions. Carlos's, as usual, spun heavily in the bottom of the dish, but the grey beyblade looped around the edge gathering momentum. It then shot into the centre, but instead of bouncing off as Carlos had been expecting, it displaced the larger blade and sent it teetering towards the edge. Now it was Tyson's that spun innocently in the centre, and Carlos's that circled unsteadily around it.

"What?!" Carlos roared. Moron, Kai thought to himself. Utter, utter moron. He resisted the urge to whack his head on the railing or yell something rude.

Tyson grinned again; more confident now that he knew the plan was working. Carlos sent his beyblade angrily on the offensive, but Tyson's dodged, looped behind and helped it out over the side of the dish. The match was over, and in record time.

Kai almost facepalmed. Even a _beginner_ wouldn't have made that mistake. What had he been thinking; letting Carlos be a Shark? Still, he was the leader, he had to go and confront the little punk before people started thinking the Blade Sharks were pushovers. If you want a job done right, he thought as he made his way off the overpass, don't send fucking Carlos to do it. There, on top of the grassy knoll, the Blade Sharks leader waited to be noticed. He wanted to make a suitably impressive entrance at least, to make up for Carlos's terrible performance, and do to that he needed to command all attention.

While he waited, Carlos pathetically came to terms with his defeat. He held the victor's prize tight in his fist – the bag of beyblades that stood to be won or lost in the battle. And he had lost. Kai would kick him out. He had lost. He was weak, and would never go to the Regionals. He had just lost, everything. The only thing he could think to do was run. Run away with his now doubly ill-gotten prize, and try to redeem himself as a Shark, or else start anew completely. His fist tightened on the bag, and as he turned to make his getaway the whole crowd who'd been watching piled after him. But it was at that moment he saw Kai, and stopped dead in his tracks. His pursuers followed his line of sight and also stopped to look at the figure dramatically silhouetted against the setting sun. Kai put on his best stern expression, although inside he was contemplating giving an evil little wave at Carlos's stupidly mortified face. What the hell had he been expecting? For Kai to just sit at home and not follow up on a possible something he'd been searching for for months? Honestly, some people.

He jumped down the whole bank and landed gracefully, less then a metre from Carlos, before slapping him so hard that he actually fell over. The crowd gave a little 'ooh' of anticipation. Well, he had certainly achieved his dramatic entrance, and gotten a little awe and intimidation thrown in there for good measure.

Carlos didn't need telling twice. He knew he was out. He knew that failure was the end of the line if you were a Blade Shark. He scarpered fast to avoid a beating and left the brown sack of 'blades lying where he'd dropped them. Kai lifted his own Beyblade and held it up along with his launcher to this…Tyson boy, wordlessly inviting him to battle. Brimming with confidence from his win Tyson accepted. He couldn't help trash talking a little though - this was the part that Kenny found very awkward. He knew that Tyson was a strong Blader, but some of the stuff he came out with was either ripped straight from movies or incredibly cheesy.

"I'm guessing you're the leader of the Blade Sharks then." Tyson swaggered, acting tough. It was enough to make anyone cringe. Kenny rolled his eyes.

"Well done, genius." Kai said, amused by Tyson's act.

"What's the matter, Baby-Carlos can't play out unsupervised, so you have to fight his battles for him?"

"Don't know what you're on about. There's no one in the Blade Sharks called Carlos."

"Oh come on Kai!" Tyson whined in disappointment "What kind of return is that to an insult?"

"Whatever. I'm bored already with this." Kai drawled dismissively. "Lets get this over with so I can crush your spirit and go home." His laucher was loaded and the blue 'blade was released. Tyson took another run-up, and the battle was on.

Tyson's beyblade glowed blue and headed for Kai's – the same tactic he'd used to fight Calros. Kai's beyblade became red in response as it prepared to face the attack of a Bitbeast whose true form was still unknown.

Kai and Dranzer had fought against BitBeasts countless times before, but this was somehow different. This one felt…ancient. There was no other way of putting it – every time the Phoenix and the Dragon made contact Kai could sense a history, as if the two BitBeasts had fought before a long time ago, and that he and Tyson were merely onlookers in this battle instead of combatants themselves. Kai didn't like the feeling of being excluded from his own fight, and made Dranzer end the battle. He'd won, as he expected to, but it didn't feel like a victory. It felt like the Dragon BitBeast had let him win, either to humour him or to teach its own master a lesson. Either way, Kai was left thoroughly unsatisfied and in want of a rematch.

.:--:.

Far away, in the bowels of a dark laboratory buried deep beneath frosted Russian earth, a red light flickered to life above a glass tank. Suspended in clear fluid within it was the shape of a monstrous black bird. It stirred; weakly but unmistakably it was moving after half a decade of stillness and silence! The creature gave a muted cry, trying in vain to move its wings through the thick liquid, or to pull out the numerous wires that sank deeply into its body.

In a CCTV control room, a masked man with dyed purple hair watched the scene unfold in black and white from one of the hundreds of small television screens. From an inside pocket of his green trench coat he produced a radio transmitter.

"Voltaire," he spoke into it, a grim smile appearing on his mouth "…The Dark Phoenix has awoken."

-To Be Continued…

* * *

**Author note the second: **Hooray! Thankies for reading this far! Chapter 2 has been started, but I'm worried that its rather disjointed and abrupt, so lots of tedious meddling will be required. Phooey. Also, I'm not too sure where the plot is going on this one. I have the beginning and the end, but NO MIDDLE! Ack! I was just bored of reading fanfiction and not posting any, so this was put up during crazed chocolate-fuelled moment of madness.

And to M'Aylay: There, I posted something! Your turn now!


	2. ChainLinked

**Author note:** ...And now I present chapter 2 //_bows_// Sorry if it seems rushed or anything - I finished it on monday, instead of doing biology homework. I feel pretty guilty. The mitochondria will never forgive me!!

* * *

It was a few days later that Kai got his opportunity for a rematch, at the Nationals. He would get that cocky little Tyson and prove to himself that he was truly the best Beyblader. And it seemed Tyson had brought a new friend along for the occasion. 

Whilst Max and Tyson bounded around like over-enthusiastic puppies, asking everyone else about their 'blades, Kai couldn't help thinking 'Oh gods, the idiots are reproducing…'.

Tyson's grandfather had shown up at some point too, and rather than separating the two hyperactive teenagers (they encouraged each other, after all) he had fed them sugar and pop. So Kai had fled in the most dignified manner possible to find a quieter spot and visualise his victory against the blonde kid. And good thing he did too, because Max was not the pushover that Kai had anticipated. He, too, had a bit-beast and not one of your average spirits either. This one was built like a rock. There was none of the usual rebounding business when the beyblades met; it was just like his blade was being held firmly by the defensive beast and its strength drained away with every hit. Kai was once again powerless in his own fight – all of his commands were slightly pointless. Dranzer knew what she was doing, she knew how to negotiate around this moving fortress of an enemy and it was quite clear that Kai's input was not needed. Needless to say, it had rattled him slightly. Two strong, old spirits both encountered within days of each other, and now their owners were united against him. Kai shook his head to dislodge the troubling thought.

Now was the final match. It was not the time for worrying about what had already happened. Now was the time for concentration. He and Tyson faced one another, the dish between them like some kind of chasm waiting to be filled. Then from the ceiling, linked fences were lowered to form a tight cage around the beyblading dish. Tyson was taken a little by surprise – he felt locked in, and isolated from his friends' support. His sentiments did not go unnoticed; Kai saw his unease and smirked confidently. The battle hadn't even started and already his opponent's nerves were on edge. He wouldn't have to work too hard to win this fight, it would seem. The caged arena had actually been installed the year after Kai's magnificent ascent to power, in which he had scorched the previous champion's 'blade and then knocked it (quite intentionally) at his little fan club in the audience. Whether or not Tyson knew this or not was irrelevant, but what a shame he wouldn't be able to do the same this year to that annoying blonde kid and the geeky one with the laptop. Oh well.

He turned, still smirking, to Tyson. Frustratingly, he had gotten over the little shock of the cage and the smirk failed to have any effect on his optimist attitude. In the spirit of friendly competition, he called over to Kai above the crowd's anticipated chatter;

"Good Luck!"

There were so many comebacks, taunts, witty abuses that Kai could have replied. He settled on the most sarcastic and scornful that came to mind. It should set the match off nicely, he thought.

"Oh dear!" He exclaimed exaggeratedly. "I didn't realise that _luck_ would be involved!" He pronounced the word luck like it was foreign, and then his overdramatic tone turned sour. "And here I was, wasting my time with skill and practice. Well, silly me."

Tyson's face too, darkened.

"Alright, alright. You don't have to be so nasty about it; just trying to be friendly. Jeez, attitude problems…" The last part was muttered under his breath.

Now that the air of hostility well and truly hung about them, Kai decided it was the time to begin.

"I don't want or need your friendship, so you can keep it along with your luck." And then his 'blade was skimming up the sides of the dish. The official starting words hadn't been announced, but Tyson too let loose his beyblade into the fight. Agitated with Kai's antisocial responses over the days, he made the grey blade go straight into offensive, ignoring all of Kenny's advice. To everyone's surprise, including Kai's, Dranzer gave way under the vicious attack. It shot out of the dish with some force, hitting Kai squarely in the chest and knocking him back into the chain link fence. Instantly, Tyson's anger vanished.

"Oh crap! Are you alright, man?"

Kai remained motionless against the fence, his face hidden. Secretly, he was disbelieving. The kid wasn't so bad after all. While it was true that he had been testing the waters with that first battle, he hadn't expected such a…well, Kai-like attack. The place where the 'blade had hit him throbbed painfully. Maybe Tyson was a Blade Shark in the making; someone Kai could teach…

"Come on, get up you faker! I want to beat you properly!"

…then again, maybe he should just beat him and steal his Bitbeast. Yeah, that was better.

He raised himself, his fingers clinging to the cage links for support his shaky legs. Thankfully, his sneering expression drew attention from the slight weakness. He was grinning. Time to bring out the big guns.

"That's my move." He said, his eyes glittering with contempt. "Let me show you how it's supposed to be done."

He held his launcher close to his chest; his arms like a coiled snake ready to spring. At the word he practically flung his 'blade into the dish, so hard that the launcher was almost thrown too. The resulting momentum was so great that Tyson's grey beyblade was catapulted into the caged barrier within a matter of seconds (achieving the velocity Kai's opponent's had all those years ago. Oh, why did the cage have to be in the way of Kenny's head?). He had actually been aiming for a rather brutal headshot, but it was too obvious and Tyson had flinched sideways just in time. Damn. It would have gotten rid of him from the tournament. Then again, Kai would have probably been disqualified as well. Never mind then.

On the bleachers, Kenny gave a horrified gasp at Tyson's near-decapitation.

"Woah. They're really serious, aren't they Chief?"

"I knew the Blade Sharks used violent tactics, but I never expected him to use them in a national tournament! With the judges watching and everything!" Kenny replied, appalled.

"Do you think Tyson still has a chance of winning?" Max asked in concern.

"It doesn't look good. He'll have to go all out in this final match…"

The beyblades were launched and, as was natural for two air-orientated beasts, they gained height, each seeking to gain advantage and strength from the mounting gravitational potential energy. The battle was repetition of the same simple actions by each blader – first they would fly up, sometimes getting a good 10 or 15 seconds of air-time, then came the destructive descent where both attempted to flatten the other whilst landing, they wound crash earthwards, narrowly avoid mutually damaging collisions in the dish and then the whole process would repeat itself. It turned from a show of strength into an endurance battle. Kai and Tyson were both struggling to maintain the furious pace, and it was only a matter of time before someone screwed up on their timing and was trashed.

And here it was…

They were falling, but slowly as each bit-beast tried to delay the impact of the fall. Dranzer beat her massive wings with the blue beyblade corresponding to her movements, whilst Dragoon manipulated the air currents to cushion the 'blade. But both Kai and Tyson realised at the same moment that they were still falling too fast, and the impact would be too harsh. Even if they managed to keep spinning, it would all be a matter of luck as to who had enough power left to finish the other off. It seemed that luck _would_ play a part in this battle after all.

Frantically, the 'blades began to swat at each other in midair, trying to knock the other so it wouldn't fall into the dish. Dranzer's wings flapped to neutralise each gust sent by Dragoon, and for each sent one of her own back. In a final ditch attempt, they shot towards one another, and yet again both were knocked aside, landing on the quarter inch rim of the steep-sided dish. Luckily for Tyson, the Chief's modifications came into play just in time, and the dragon 'blade regained balance quickly. Kai urged Dranzer to move faster around the rim, making her less likely to fall, but he knew he had lost. Grudgingly, he let it go and the blue beyblade faithfully wobbled back to him.

The crowd let loose a roar of approval for some, shock for others, and relief for the few who'd been bored by the extended match. Kai crouched and picked up Dranzer, feeling her last few revolutions die away as his fingers closed around the blade. He did not blame her for the loss of the match.

"All fires die down eventually." He said simply to his Bitbeast. "But don't forget that the wind feeds us." He added, shooting a pointed look at Tyson.

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means next time we battle, I'll eat you for fucken breakfast, moron."

.:--:.

"Anything?"

All the other CCTV cameras had been switched off; now the screens all showed the same lab from different angles. All showed the tank filled with malevolence, the silhouette of a bird in even darker black then the surrounding room. Since its initial stirrings, there had been nothing. Boris was in desperate need of something to report to his boss. The nervous scientist in front of him read off a long paper readout, interpreting the squiggles hurriedly. "Er, energy fluctuations for the two days, and then steadily decreasing from about an hour ago" he said worriedly.

"It's been re-establishing the connection" Boris stated. "Remarkable."

"Sir?" the confused scientist asked for elaboration.

"The boy was in a tournament. He lost the final match…" Boris glanced at his watch "…within the last hour."

"But sir, why did it wake up in the first place?"

"For the same reason, I suspect, as the anomaly _there_." The older man indicated at the readout, where the ink trace had jumped right off the paper. "The phoenix has finally come into contact with the other ancient Beasts."

To Be Contined...

* * *

**Author note II, The Revenge (on DVD, Monday!): **Hmm, I hope it's alright. Oh well, too late now, right? Eheheh... 

Thanks to readers and reviewers, you get...I dunno...Cookies n' ...shit...

Chapter 3 might be a little while in the making. I have university interviews - WTF am I going to do?! They'll discover me as a fraud! Noo!


End file.
